Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta
Cover of the first volume
気になってる人が男じゃなかった
GenreYuri[1]
Manga
Written bySumiko Arai
Published byKadokawa Shoten
MagazinePixiv Comic
DemographicShōjo
Original runApril 29, 2023 – present
Volumes1

Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta (気になってる人が男じゃなかった, 'The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Sumiko Arai. It originated on Arai's Twitter account in April 2022, before being serialized on Pixiv Comic in April 2023. Kadokawa Shoten published the series in print, with its first volume releasing in April 2023.

The series has been a critical and commercial success, with critics praising the story, artwork, and characters. It won the 2023 Next Manga Award in the web manga category.

Characters

Aya Osawa (大沢あや, Ōsawa Aya)
Voiced by: Mariya Ise (drama CD)[2]
Mitsuki Koga (古賀みつき, Koga Mitsuki)
Voiced by: Akari Kitō (drama CD)[2]
Joe (ジョー, Jō)
Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda (drama CD)[2]
Narita (成田)
Voiced by: Tasuku Hatanaka (drama CD)[2]

Production

Since Twitter only allows four images per Tweet, chapters of the series were limited to four pages. As a result, the interactions of Aya and Mitsuki had to be depicted concisely.[3] The series' editor commented that the character's faces are illustrated to be detailed enough to understand the story without the dialog, which made the series more accessible to Twitter users not from Japan.[3]

Media

Manga

Written by Sumiko Arai, the series originated on the author's Twitter account on April 10, 2022.[4] It later began serialization on Pixiv Comic on April 29, 2023.[5] Kadokawa Shoten began publishing the series in printed tankōbon volumes in April 2023.[6]

Volume list

No. Japanese release date Japanese ISBN
1 April 19, 2023[6]978-4-04-681732-7
2 February 27, 2024[7]978-4-04-683173-6

Other

Apple Music and Spotify released an official playlist containing songs that Mitsuki and Aya listen to throughout the series.[8]

A pop-up store selling merchandise from the series was open in Ikebukuro from September 15–24 and in Nagoya from September 30 to October 9, 2023.[9]

A Drama CD adaptation is set to be released on March 27, 2024.[2]

Reception

The first volume sold 150,000 copies within a week of its release.[10] By September 2023, the series had 200,000 copies in circulation.[11]

The series won the 2023 Next Manga Award in the web manga category.[12] The series ranked second on the 2023 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine.[13] The series ranked second on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2024 for female readers.[14]

A columnist for Animate Times praised the artwork, particularly its use of color, and the story's progression.[15] Momo Tachibana of Real Sound praised the main characters and their interactions, describing them as understable.[16] Erica Friedman felt the story was "not the first of it's kind" but that it handled its subject better than similar series. Friedman also praised the artwork and its use of black, white, and green.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Friedman, Erica (August 14, 2023). "Kininatteru Hito Ga Otoko Janakatta, Volume 1". Okazu. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e 「気になってる人が男じゃなかった」ドラマCDのジャケット用イラスト公開. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Sairenji, Kurara (September 8, 2023). 「気になってる人が男じゃなかった」初の期間限定ショップ、池袋＆名古屋パルコで開催. Walkerplus (in Japanese). Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  4. ^ Arai, Sumiko [@agu_knzm] (April 10, 2022). 気になってる人が男じゃなかった (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved November 9, 2023 – via Twitter.
  5. ^ 気になってる人が男じゃなかった. Pixiv Comic (in Japanese). Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  6. ^ a b 気になってる人が男じゃなかった VOL.1 (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  7. ^ 気になってる人が男じゃなかった VOL.2 (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  8. ^ 「気になってる人が男じゃなかった」1巻、フルカラー描き下ろしや公式プレイリストも. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. April 20, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  9. ^ 「気になってる人が男じゃなかった」初の期間限定ショップ、池袋＆名古屋パルコで開催. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. September 8, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  10. ^ 『気になってる人が男じゃなかった』発売即重版決定！ 発売1週間で累計15万部に!! (Press release) (in Japanese). Chiyoda, Tokyo: Kadokawa Corporation. May 1, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023 – via PR Times.
  11. ^ 『気になってる人が男じゃなかった』が「次にくるマンガ大賞2023」Webマンガ部門第1位を受賞！ (Press release) (in Japanese). Chiyoda, Tokyo: Kadokawa Corporation. September 1, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023 – via PR Times.
  12. ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (August 31, 2023). "Seitokai ni mo Ana wa Aru!, Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta Win Next Manga Awards Print, Web Categories". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  13. ^ Tai, Anita (December 5, 2023). "Tomoko Yamashita's Ikoku Nikki Tops Da Vinci Manga Ranking". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  14. ^ Pineda, Rafael (December 11, 2023). "Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Editors Unveil 2024 Rankings". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  15. ^ ミステリアスな推しの「おにーさん」の正体は、隣の席の女子だった──人気沸騰の漫画『気になってる人が男じゃなかった』読者の心に響く理由とは？. Animate Times (in Japanese). July 29, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  16. ^ Tachibana, Momo (September 30, 2023). ギャルが好意を抱いた“おにーさん”の正体は……次にくるマンガ大賞で注目『気になってる人が男じゃなかった』. Real Sound (in Japanese). Retrieved November 9, 2023.

External links

Next Manga Award
Categories